Top 15 Smartphones Under $500 ($399-$500 Range)

15th Place: Vivo V15 Pro ($399)

• Super AMOLED display fills front of phone
• 48MP triple camera system
• Good battery life
• Mid-range Snapdragon 675 chip (main limitation)

14th Place: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

• Super AMOLED display with dual front cameras
• Addictive sliding mechanism
• Snapdragon 845 chip (last year's flagship, still powerful as current mid-range)

13th Place: LG G7 ThinQ ($280)

• Poor value retention creates opportunity
• Best hardware of 2018 at discounted price
• Good camera, powerful speaker, Quad HD+ display
• Small 3000mAh battery

12th Place: Honor View 20

• Flagship-grade Kirin 980 chip
• High-end 48MP camera
• One of first phones with punch hole display
• Set high bar for 2019 but now less unique

11th Place: Samsung Galaxy A70

• Massive 4500mAh battery
• Fastest Samsung charging at 25W
• 6.7" Super AMOLED display
• Mid-range Snapdragon 675 chip

10th Place: Poco F1

• Good performance, camera, battery after 1 year
• Now cheaper than original price

9th Place: Honor 20

• Flagship-grade chip in compact form
• One-handed use capability
• Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Quad camera setup (one for depth sensing)

8th Place: Google Pixel 3a XL

• Clean, easy Android experience
• Amazing camera with effortless photo capture
• Exceptional battery life (3700mAh capacity)
• Not for tech enthusiasts/gamers
• Light software puts minimal battery strain

7th Place: Huawei Mate 20

• Flagship Kirin chip
• Triple camera with ultra-wide and telephoto
• Premium design and materials
• Similar reasons as Honor 20

6th Place: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

• Flagship-grade metal and glass body
• Flagship display and Dolby Atmos speakers
• Similar software to Galaxy A70 but premium feel
• Tough combination for newer mid-range to beat

Top 5 Smartphones

5th Place: Red Magic 3

• Weighs over 200g with above-average bezels
• Most powerful components available
• 6.65" 90Hz AMOLED panel
• Massive 5000mAh battery (2 days medium use)
• Gaming features: customizable LED strip, shoulder buttons
• Dedicated cooling fan
• 48MP camera with mediocre software/processing

4th Place: OnePlus 7

• Single main camera + depth sensor
• Amazing photos and videos (especially after recent update)
• Oxygen OS: fluid, light, fast
• Added stereo speakers

3rd Place: Xiaomi Mi 9 ($470)

• Cheaper than OnePlus 7 while equally powerful
• More versatile triple camera setup
• MIUI skin vs preferred Oxygen OS
• Doesn't make sense to buy now due to upcoming releases

2nd Place: Asus ZenFone 6

• Rotating camera setup
• Exceptional battery life with 5000mAh cell
• Snappy, bloatware-free UI
• Amazing photos/videos on both rear and front cameras

1st Place: Redmi K20 Pro / Xiaomi Mi 9T

• Rebranded versions of same phone
• Better than Mi 9 in almost every way
• Cheaper with much larger battery
• Full-screen display with no notches
• Motorized pop-up camera with built-in LEDs

Premium Options (Over $500)

Higher Budget Recommendations

• OnePlus 7 Pro: No-compromise phone under $700
• iPhone XS Max: Best Apple offering, improving with iOS 13
• Huawei P30 Pro: Most impressive camera versatility (100m subjects, low light, close-up)
• Samsung Galaxy S10+ 5G: Best overall phone (reviewer's daily driver)
• Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus: Smaller alternative without 5G

Budget Options (Under $399)

Lower Budget Recommendations

• Moto G7: Well-rounded, well-built for price
• Mi 9 SE: Smaller Mi 9 with ultra-wide and telephoto cameras retained
• Samsung Galaxy A50: Similar to A70 but smaller, $100 less
  • Slightly weaker processor and camera
• Redmi Note 7 Pro: Cheapest 48MP IMX586 camera phone
  • Same sensor as OnePlus 7 Pro
  • Well-specced overall

Important Advisory

Huawei/Honor Blacklist Warning

• Companies blacklisted from working with US companies (including Google)
• Future viability uncertain
• Recommendation: Hold off purchasing for few weeks
• Expect clarity or public statement within month